Watercare says the Hibiscus Coast’s wastewater fix is not expected until 2031, with no spare capacity available now.

The utility plans to invest about $500m over the next decade, including a major upgrade to the Army Bay Wastewater Treatment Plant, and is exploring faster alternatives.

What this means now: anyone with a valid building consent can still connect when ready.

Developers with a resource consent issued before 15 November 2024, but no building consent, have to contact Watercare.

These will be assessed case by case as the company keeps a close eye on capacity.

New resource consents that require a public wastewater connection are not currently being granted.

Image: Watercare

In November 2024, Watercare estimated Army Bay could connect about 4,000 more homes.

Since then, 297 have been added.

As of June 2025, Watercare reports no remaining capacity on the Hibiscus Coast.

“We estimate we can connect up to 4000 new homes before the treatment plant reaches capacity,” chief strategy and planning officer Priyan Perera said at the time.

That limit now appears reached, ahead of upgrades.

Image: Watercare

Why this matters for Coasties: planned housing and commercial projects may be delayed or staged until extra treatment capacity comes online.

Expect tighter sequencing of builds, longer timelines, and more upfront checks on wastewater connections while Watercare progresses an upgrade path.

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